purposes
purposes — noun
- purposessingular
- purposesesplural
1. The aim behind an action or the point of a thing — what makes a person do someth
The aim behind an action or the point of a thing — what makes a person do something or explains why an object was created.
Feng explained the purpose of the town meeting to the new residents.
the purpose of + noun phrase
Aylin joined the choir with the purpose of meeting people who love singing.
with the purpose of + -ing
The main purpose of the fence was to keep deer out of the garden.
Andrei saw no purpose in arguing with someone who refused to listen.
For tax purposes, Vinícius kept every receipt from the past five years.
文法句型
the purpose of + noun
for the purpose of + -ing
with the purpose of + -ing
2. Done deliberately and with full awareness, rather than happening by mistake or c
Done deliberately and with full awareness, rather than happening by mistake or chance.
Adina knocked over the glass on purpose because she was angry at her brother.
on purpose = deliberately
Did Quan leave the gate open on purpose, or did the wind blow it open?
on purpose vs. by accident in a question
Saira smiled to herself, knowing her little sister had hidden the keys on purpose.
The referee thought the foul was on purpose and showed the player a red card.
Adisa never believed the mistake was on purpose; she thought it was carelessness.
- deliberately
stresses conscious choice; slightly more formal than 'on purpose'
- intentionally
focuses on having a clear intention behind the action
- knowingly
emphasises awareness, often used in legal contexts
- by accident
the most common opposite in everyday speech
- inadvertently
formal; suggests the action was unintended and unnoticed
文法句型
on purpose
用法筆記
Always used in the fixed phrase 'on purpose'. Cannot be used as a standalone noun for this meaning. Distinguish from 'with purpose' (sense 3), which means with determination.
常見錯誤
3. A steady inner drive that comes from knowing what you want — the firmness that k
A steady inner drive that comes from knowing what you want — the firmness that keeps you moving toward a goal even when things get hard.
Mira faced months of training with a quiet sense of purpose that impressed her coach.
sense of purpose
After losing his job, Cyrus found new purpose in teaching young people to read.
find purpose in + -ing
Stephanie's strength of purpose carried her through four years of medical school.
The volunteers worked with real purpose, knowing every hour helped someone in need.
Dario walked into the interview with purpose, ready to show what he could do.
- determination
stresses firmness of will, often in the face of difficulty
- resolve
formal; suggests a conscious decision to stay committed
- resolution
similar to resolve but often used for New Year's resolutions or formal pledges
- aimlessness
lacking any clear direction or goal
- purposelessness
the direct opposite; rare but precise
文法句型
sense of purpose
strength of purpose
find purpose in
用法筆記
Uncountable in this sense. Often paired with 'sense of', 'strength of', or 'lack of'. Distinguish from sense 1: 'a purpose' is a goal; 'purpose' (no article) in this sense is the quality of being determined.
常見錯誤
4. What someone requires or what a thing must provide in order to be suitable for a
What someone requires or what a thing must provide in order to be suitable for a particular task or situation.
The small office served their purposes well enough for the first year.
serve someone's purposes
The carpenter searched for a desk that was the right height for his purposes.
for someone's purposes
For Keiko's purposes, a simple phone with a decent camera was more than enough.
This fabric isn't beautiful, but it will serve my purposes for the living-room curtains.
The school board looked for a hall large enough for their purposes.
- need
simpler and more direct; 'for my purposes' = 'for my needs'
- requirement
more formal; often used in official or business settings
- necessity
stresses that something is essential, not just helpful
文法句型
for one's purposes
serve someone's purposes
用法筆記
Almost always used in the plural ('purposes') and in phrases like 'for my purposes' or 'serve someone's purposes'. Distinguish from sense 5: this sense is about meeting needs, not about inherent function.
常見錯誤
5. The practical use, role, or function that something has — what it does and why i
The practical use, role, or function that something has — what it does and why it is useful.
The old railway building now serves a new purpose as a community art centre.
serve a purpose
A pocket knife serves many purposes, from opening boxes to cutting string.
serve many purposes
The committee questioned whether the expensive software served any real purpose.
This room was built for one purpose only: storing wine at the right temperature.
The empty warehouse was turned into a shelter, giving it a purpose once again.
文法句型
serve a purpose
serve no purpose
serve its purpose
用法筆記
Almost always used with 'serve' or 'give'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about what a thing is used for, not why an action is taken.
purposes — verb
- purposespresent simple I / you / we / they
- purposeses3rd person singular
- purposesing-ing form
- purposesedpast simple
1. To intend or plan to do something; to set a particular goal for oneself in a del
To intend or plan to do something; to set a particular goal for oneself in a deliberate and serious way.
The explorer purposed to reach the southern coast before the winter storms arrived.
purpose + to-infinitive
Grandmother purposed in her heart to visit every grandchild before the year ended.
purpose in one's heart (literary)
The council purposed a new bridge that would link the two villages at last.
The retired teacher purposed to learn the piano, starting with one song each week.
The charity's founders purposed nothing less than building a school in every mountain village.
文法句型
purpose + to-infinitive
purpose + noun phrase
用法筆記
Formal and somewhat old-fashioned. In everyday English, use 'intend', 'plan', or 'resolve' instead. Most common in literary or historical writing.